Daily Lessons from Life - 16-21 May Bangladesh police don school uniforms to stop bullies

"Bangladesh police don school uniforms to stop bullies - Thu, May 20, 2010 AFP

DHAKA - Female police officers in Bangladesh are donning school uniforms and going undercover in playgrounds in the country's northeast, police said Thursday, as part of a nationwide crackdown on bullying.

The move follows reports that at least 14 teenage girls, most of them students, have committed suicide this year as a result of bullying.

The authorities have decided to employ the novel tactic after a drive to convince young female students to report bullies foundered as many victims were too scared to lodge formal complaints, he added.

"This new method works well - we've arrested seven male teenagers in two days alone," the local police chief said."

Well, I missed out on 16-19 May blog due to the Great China Internet Wall in China! Significant event has to be the crackdown on the 'Red Shirts' in Bangkok with loss of lives and damages to properties as some 'Red Shirts' decided to adopt the 'scotched earth' tactics of burning down as many things as possible in sight! It will have great repercussion to the political and social landscape of Thailand. Hopefully it will not descend into civil war or regionalization as it already had the insurgency in the South with the Muslim, and it can ill afford the North to have unrest too!

May the Thai gets what they deserved - a BETTER Way of Life that the Land of the Smile should have!!

On this innovative way to stop bullying when the victims are not coming forward, I applaud it.

Lessons for me are:

1. when the victims are cowed and could not come forward to point out the aggressors, the vicious cycle will continue as it is rare that the offenders will stop and reflect if they are doing the right things bullying others who are weaker;

2. innovative, or even, questionable means need to be employed to find the culprit. This female police officers in disguise is one. While in other situations in other parts of the world, 'double agent', 'moles', 'eavesdropping', 'wiretapping', etc were deployed with lawful approval. Sometimes the authorities in charge ended up abusing such extreme measures to catch the offenders. It has its risk and its rewards!;

3. when such tactics yielded dividends, hopefully it will also stop the crime at source and the need to continue with such extreme measures can be dispensed with. That will be the best situation. Otherwise, it will lend itself to be abused! Reason being such measure create a sense of power that can blind a person's from the legitimate reason of deploying it initially! Power corrupt and absolute power corrupt absolutely - unless you are forewarned and are mentally prepared to counter it!

May the bullies be trialed and get the sentences they deserved. May the need to continue to deploy the female police officers in disguise be done away with as future victims, if any, come forward voluntarily! Justice must be served and it will be as long as the victims stand up for their right!